Many times in Israel’s history the nation was taken into captivity. Each time the people were treated terribly. Their lives changed drastically. Their dreams were lost. Their laughter and singing and merry hearts died, and tears and weeping became their fate.

The captivities of nations are horrifying. Yet, there is another captivity just as brutal. It is spiritual capitivity: the bondage of sin. This is the bondage that Satan has many people in today.

Spiritual bondage takes away people’s dreams. Many people are under the bondage of sin to such a degree that it renders them completely unproductive.

I have a remembrance imprinted in my brain from childhood. It was an uncle whose name was Art. He was an alcoholic and lived his life for the bottle. His wife’s name was Pearl. They both lived impoverished lives because of their terrible addiction. Art and pearls are things of beauty. Yet their lives were not happy, vibrant, productive lives because of the bondage of sin.

Today people are not only addicted to alcohol but also things like heroin, meth, and pain killers. For many their dreams have been completely destroyed and all hope has been abandoned.

But I am happy to tell you that their is a deliverer today. His name is Jesus. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath annointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverence to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”

You might be bruised and broken hearted because of an addiction. You might be in despair and all hope of freedom is gone.

However, there is somebody who has the power to set you free and his name is Jesus.

Satan not only holds people in bondage by addictions but also by causing them to believe lies. The Bible says Satan is a liar and Jesus is truth. But many people choose to believe Satan instead of Jesus.

This causes people to make bad decisions that lead to heartache and despair. Satan’s lies can cause people to fall in love and marry the wrong people. It causes people to make immoral decisions. Without the truth of God as a standard right and wrong become confused.

It causes people to do things their way without any regard to what God wants. It causes people to live for pleasure and to be self-serving. Many of these people never become responsible and end up not only destroying their own lives but also the lives of those they enter into relationship.

Not only does Satan’s captivity destroy dreams, but it also causes people to become unhappy. They cry tears, they moan, they groan, they complain.

They become nervous and filled with anxiety and fear. Many suffer mentally and emotionally all because of the bondage of sin.

However, Jesus can set you free and make your life right again and give you eternal life in the end. “But now being made free from sin, and become servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end eternal life” (Romans 6:22).

Psalms 126 describes what happens when God frees people from captivity. “We were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing” (verses 1-2).

Verse 4 is good also. It reads: “Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.” Streams flow freely. Are you free to be a stream? Are you free to be you, or does bondage cause you to be what you don’t want to be.

Many people don’t like the person they see in the mirror because that person is a person that Satan has created and not God. All the things you hate about yourself is the bondage of sin. But Jesus died to set you free from that bondage.

Verse 5 says that they that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Your tears can become joy if you will come to Jesus for deliverance. Verse 6 says, “He that goeth forth and weepeth shall doubtless come again rejoicing bringing in the sheaves.”

Your weeping can become rejoicing if you will come to Jesus for deliverance. The sheaves are the fruitfulness of labor. Your life can be fruitful if you will come to Jesus for deliverance. He can set any captive free!

James Kearns is pastor at Bald Knob Church at Kitts Hill